17 Februari 2016

Indonesian Army Acquires Three Rajawali UAVs

17 Februari 2016

The Indonesian Army has signed a contract for three fixed-wing surveillance UAVs. Acquisition is in line with the wider aspiration to leverage on unmanned systems for defence-related operations (photo : Jane's)The Indonesian Army (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Darat, or TNI-AD) has signed a contract for three fixed-wing surveillance and reconnaissance UAVs known as the Rajawali-330.The platform is based on UMS SKELDAR's F-330 fixed-wing surveillance UAV and is being co-developed under licence by Indonesian defence equipment manufacturer PT Bhinneka Dwi Persada (BDP)."The contract was awarded in December 2015", said Christeven Bong, PT BDP's executive engineer, in an interview with IHS Jane's at the Singapore Airshow 2016 on 16 February. "The contract includes three operational UAVs with associated sensors, three training UAVs, and related command-and-control components such as operator consoles," said Bong. He has however declined to reveal the value of the contract, citing confidentiality issues.The Rajawali-330 has an overall length of 2.27 m, a height of 0.9 m, and a wingspan of 3.3 m. It has a maximum take-off weight of 21.5 kg and can carry a maximum payload of 10 kg. Powered by a single piston engine, the Rajawali-330 has a top speed of 70 kt and a cruise speed of 43 kt. At maximum payload, the UAV has endurance in excess of eight hours.The platforms to be delivered to the TNI-AD will each carry one electro-optical/infrared camera for day and night surveillance, one hyperspectral camera, and one mapping camera with Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) capabilities.According to the company, the first platform will be delivered at the end of March 2016 with subsequent deliveries made by the end of the year.(Jane's)